Woodpeckers drowning in water butts

Date posted: Friday 20th July 2018

Over the past week there have been two separate cases of plotholders finding a drowned woodpecker in their water butts. Woodpeckers are at particular risk of drowning, due to their shape and the weight of their head. If you have an uncovered water butt, you might want to cover the opening with netting to prevent this. Birds can also drown in pump water tanks or baths. If there is a milk crate or similar in there, that will give them a way to escape. If there isn’t, why not float a small plank in the water to give them something to climb onto.